Chinese enterprise Zhejiang Geely Holding Group has large investments in three automakers already doing business in the U.S.

Commonly called Geely, the holding organization has stakes in Western automakers Volvo, Polestar and Lotus, and it also has a Chinese subsidiary automaker that makes the brands Zeekr, Lynk & Co and Geely. 

Despite bipartisan opposition to Chinese vehicles in the U.S., Geely could have the potential to access dealer networks in the U.S., as well as factory production.

Politicians on both sides of the aisle want to block Chinese vehicles from the United States.

But over 100 Chinese automakers, auto tech companies, and parts suppliers already have a presence in the U.S., a consultancy that focuses on electric vehicles and autonomous markets., according to a survey done by Dunne Insights Despite the United States implementing a 100% tariff on EVs from the country and considering a rule banning Chinese connected cars from U.S. roads, a few Chinese companies are finding ways to invest in the country. This also touches on aspects of bear market.

Chinese behemoth BYD builds buses in California, and Chinese battery maker CATL has struck a licensing deal with Ford Motor to offer tech and services for a battery manufacturing operation in Michigan.

One especially well-positioned business is Zhejiang Geely Holding Group. Geely, as it is commonly known, has large investments in three automakers already doing business in the U.S. — Volvo Cars, Polestar and Lotus — and smaller stakes in luxury makers Mercedes-Benz and Aston Martin. 

Geely’s advantage

Lotus, Polestar and Volvo all give Geely Holding dealer networks in the U.S. — a key asset, mentioned Tu Le, founder of automotive consultancy firm Sino Auto Insights. 

“Let’s not discount how vital a dealer network is and the service infrastructure that needs to be able to support that, because that’s not an insignificant task that needs to be sorted out by the automakers that do not have a presence in the United States,” Le stated.

Geely also potentially has U.S. factory capacity through its Volvo stake.

The Volvo factory near Charleston, South Carolina, makes both Volvo and Polestar cars. The plant is huge enough to construct about 150,000 vehicles, but in 2025, it only produced about 18,500, stated Sam Abuelsamid, vice president of industry research at Telemetry Insights, citing data from Marklines. Volvo has noted it is adding U.S. production of its XC60 hybrid SUV, which would add about 45,000 units per year. 

Volvo does want to expand its U.S. footprint. The company’s Americas president, Luis Rezende, told CNBC in December that Volvo was importing about 95% of the cars it sold in the U.S.. The organization plans to boost U.S. sales to about 200,000 units, from about 122,000 in 2025. Volvo wants 50% to 60% of that growth volume to be U.S.-made, Rezende said. 

Volvo CEO Hakan Samuelsson reportedly commented late last month that he would be open to using it for a Chinese vehicle, according to Business Insider.

“Putting production there would actually reduce costs or it would amortize the fixed costs over more units,” Le remarked.

U.S. expansion?

The name Geely can refer to the holding organization that has stakes in Volvo, Polestar and the rest, or the publicly traded Chinese subsidiary automaker Geely Auto, which consists of the Chinese brands Zeekr, Lynk & Co, and the brand Geely. 

Of its Chinese brands, Zeekr is a likely candidate to spearhead a U.S. expansion, analysts remarked. Already, Waymo is using a Zeekr vehicle as a platform for its self-driving fleet in San Francisco. The enterprise continues to leverage the Jaguar I-Pace and plans to apply cars from Hyundai and Toyota as well. Waymo declined CNBC’s request for a comment.

“Executives from Zeekr have mentioned that they want to introduce the Zeekr brand into the U.S. market,” Abuelsamid noted. “Of the Geely Group brands, that is the most likely one.”

It might be among the best positioned, but it isn’t totally alone, Le noted. Stellantis — which owns the Jeep, Ram, Dodge and Chrysler brands — has a roughly 20% stake in Chinese automaker Leapmotor.

“There’s another opportunity to rebadge an existing vehicle, such as a Fiat, or something that’s more familiar to Americans, and there’s already an infrastructure in place,” Le stated.

And though there is stiff bipartisan opposition to Chinese automakers, President Donald Trump has suggested he would be amenable to Chinese automakers building in the U.S.

“Now, if they want to come in and build a plant and hire you and hire your friends and your neighbors, that’s great,” the president commented about foreign automakers in a January speech at the Detroit Economic Club. “I love that. Let China come in. Let Japan come in. They are, and they’ll be building plants, but they’re using our labor.”